Metal-processing unit

ABSTRACT

A PROCESSING UNIT PARTICULARLY FOR AUTOMOBILE BODIES, SHEET METAL SCRAP, AND OTHER SOLID WASTE, UTILIZING A PAIR OF ROTARY COMPACTORS PLACED SIDE-BY-SIDE AND TO OPEN THE OUTER SURROUNDING SHELL BETWEEN THE TWO ALLOWING THE MATERIAL PASSING THROUGH THE MACHINE ACCESS BETWEEN THE TWO ROTORS OF THE COMPACTORS.

United States Patent 1 1 3,587,985

[72] Inventor Roy M. Eidal [56] References Cited Albuquerque, UNITED STATES PATENTS P 345,408 7/1886 Birge 241/13sx FM Jan-14,1969 1,362,948 12/1920 Lehrack 241/13sx [451 Paieme 1971 2,572,413 10/1951 Wickland 241/196X [73] 2,606,721 8/1952 Neff 241/146X Albuquerque, N. Mex. Subsidiary of Southwest Factories, lnc. Examiner-Donald Kelly Attorney-Willard L. Greene [54] METAL-PROCESSING UNIT 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs,

[52] U.S.Cl. 241/138, ABSTRACT: A processing unit particularly for automobile 241/146 bodies, sheet metal scrap, and other solid waste, utilizing a [51] Int. Cl ..B02c 13/20, pair of rotary compactors placed side-by-side and to open the B021: 13/14, B02c 18/12 outer surrounding shell between the two allowing the material [50] Field of Search 241/138, passing through the machine access between the two rotors of 141, 146, 193, 196, (D16. 22) the compactors.

PATENTEU JUH28 191: 3587.985

sum 1 0F 5 INVENTOR. Pay M 5/0/14 PATENTEU JUN28 m1 SHEET 3 OF 5 I N VENTOR. Far M 5/044 BY hiQoa-dg. w

- ATTORNEY PATENTEU JUNE 8 1971 SHEET & 0F 5 w WW R. y m E L N Q S Q 5* a N W M m i--- 6 m I I l l l I ll M F Y II III B lll vllll METAL-PROCESSING UNIT CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTS This application is related to US. Pat. No. 3,356,016 issued Dec. 5, 1967.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. This invention pertains to metal processing units, and is particularly directed to automobile body disposal apparatus. 2. Heretofore, to accomplish the compaction of an automobile body, it is necessary to usea shear, a flattener and a chopper to get the material properly sized and to present it to a single spindle compactor, a series of costly machines and time consuming steps being thus required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One of the objects of this invention is to use a single compactor without any other auxiliary machines, such as flatteners, shears and choppers, to accomplish the complete processing of automobiles and the other materials to acceptable scrap, such as stoves, refrigerators or refuse including wood, paper, cardboard, etc.

Another object is to construct a compactor with the above capability by utilizing a pair of radially spaced spindles and rotors in the compactor placed side by side and provide an open ing in the shell fed from a hopper adapted to receive the complete auto body and other bulky material which is thus fed between the two rotors allowing the material passing through the compactor access between the two rotors to effect the complete processing of the material.

Still another object is to provide a specially constructed double spindle rotary compactor capable in itself to receive a complete automobile body and reduce it to acceptable scrap size in a single passage of the material through the compactor unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a front perspective view of the dual spindle rotary compactor incorporation the features of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the compactor shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. I and 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary rear elevation, partly broken away to show the rotor structure.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As an example of one embodiment of this invention, there is shown a dual spindle rotary compactor having a base formed of heavy eyebeams ll, 12, 13 and 14 to which is rigidly fixed the top plate 15. Fixed on the top surface 16 of the plate are the pair of downwardly converging conical shells l7 and 18 which merge with each other along the lines 19 and 20 so that the inner chambers of the shells are in communication with each other.

A body supply hopper 21 is connected to one side of the upper portion of the shells at an opening defined by the lines 22, 23, 24 and 25, and also to the top cover 26 fixed to the top edges 27 of the shells l7 and 18 at the lines 28 and 29. An opening defined by the edges 30, 31 and 32 cut in the top provide access for the automobile bodies 33 to slide and feed down the sloping surface 34 of the hopper 2! into the inner chamber 35 of the shells 17 and 18.

.lournaled to revolve on vertical axes 36 and 37 within the shells on suitable bearings 38 and 39 supported on the top plate 15 of the base 10 and the top cover 26 of the tapered shells, are the rotor shafts 40 and 41, to the lower ends of which are fixed the main driving gears 42. Pairs of driving motors- 45 are rigidly mounted on suitable brackets 46 fixed to the base It), each of the pairs of motors 45 having drive shafts 47 on WI'llCh are fixed drive pinlons 48 in mesh with the respective gears 42, there being four motors and two rotors all geared together.

Each rotor 50 and 51 comprises a cylindrical hub 49 fixed to a rotor shaft 40 and 41 and having a series of vertically spaced radially disposed discs 52 and near the outer perimeters thereof a fixed series of circumferentially spaced vertical shafts 53 and 54. Between the discs 52 are work-engaging serrated or toothed cutters 55 loosely journaled with enlarged bores 56 around thespacer bushings 56a on the shafts 53 and 54.

A lesser number of circumferentially spaced cutters are used between the top rotor disc 52 and a heavy triangularshaped radially spaced member 57 fixed to the top of the cylindrical hub 49 receives the upper ends only of the shafts 54. This arrangement initially engages the leading portion 58 of the auto bodies 33 to draw the work in between the rotor cutters and to lop off chunks of the work suitable to start feeding down between the conical inner surface 59 of the shells l7 and 18 and the periphery of the cutters 55 while the rotors are revolving, in the direction indicated by the arrows 60 and 61, FIG. 3.

As the compacted material feeds down the sides 59 of the shells it finally arrives properly sized in the base cavity 62 from which it is discharged, by the centrifugal force of the rotation of the rotors, out through the discharge chute 63 as indicated by the arrow 64.

I claim:

1. A metal-processing unit comprising in combination:

A. a base,

B. dual merging conical downwardly converging shells mounted on the base,

C. a downwardly and inwardly sloping hopper connected to and discharging into the upper portion of a merging side and top of the shells,

D. oppositely rotating rotors journaled on the base having their peripheries rotating inwardly and toward each other at the area of discharge of the hopper into the shells, said rotors being positioned from each other a predetermined distance,

E. power means on the base for rotating the rotors, v

F. cutters loosely journaled and circumferentially positioned in a cylindrical array around the periphery of the rotor, said cutters on one rotor being positioned from cutters on the other rotor a predetermined distance to avoid intermeshing,

G. and a discharge chute on the base connected into the bottom of the shells at their opposite merging side from the merging side first above mentioned.

2. A metal processing unit as set forth in claim 1 wherein fewer cutters are circumferentially positioned around the periphery of the rotor at their top portions where they rotate in front of the area of discharge of the hopper into the shells.

3. A metal processing unit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the shells include a top plate and the rotors are journaled on the base and on the top plate. 

